


Scars.

by Rinea



Category: League of Legends
Genre: F/M, I just. Really like EzLux, I noticed there weren't many fics so I wanted to write one, but let me know? i haven't written a fanfic in years lmao., hopefully i'll keep up with this. i really like how it's going so far., it'll probably get angsty because fuck do i love angst., it's not going to turn out as domestic as it seems to be.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:29:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7577644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinea/pseuds/Rinea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>-</p></blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Her steps are quick, cautious- eyes darting to the left and right frantically, left hand gripping her right forearm with all her might- she had been injured, not critically, but she was injured. Suddenly, she stops. Footsteps can be heard from behind her. Thoughts go straight to the worst case scenario, she's being followed- she's being tracked. She inhales sharply, thoughts frantically occurring in her head that she could be dead in a matter of moments. 

Suddenly, the footsteps get louder- she freezes in her place as she feels the soft tap upon her shoulder. A frantic yelp and small jump would be made by the blonde, she's about ready to kill the person behind her- quickly, she turns to face them, surprised to see it was none other than Ezreal.

"You scared me half to death- I could have killed you." She replied, coldly. He glances at her, hand sheepishly scratching at the nape of his neck as he gives an apologetic look. "I'm glad you didn't." He replies, she crosses her arms, an unamused look on her features as she gives him daggers. "Hey, hey relax. I'm sorry I scared you." He says again, she doesn't say a word, but her expression softens- a look of relief quickly making crossing his features.

"What are you even doing here?" She then asks. She was in the middle of nowhere- no one should have even known she was here, yet somehow he did. He gives a shrug and simply says "Just luck, I guess. I'm an explorer after all." She doesn't believe him, but since she had no real way to disprove him- she ends up just giving a short nod of the head in response. Regardless of his reasons for being here, the presence of a friendly face was enough to cause her anxieties to subside, of only a little bit. A person like Ezreal could probably make her anxieties go away completely, if she was being honest.

"Where are you headed?" She then asks, curiosity in her tone, perhaps he was going on another expedition? She had always wanted to accompany him on one, although she would never say it to his face- and even if she did, she did not have the luxury to do things such as that. She was no rebel, she couldn't disobey orders. Ezreal's words were enough to drag her from her thoughts, he speaks without thinking, "I wanted to see you." This comment alone was enough to cause her to blush, albeit the line was very cheesy- it worked on her. "Were you worried?" She tried to regain her composure as she speaks.

His brow raises as if that shouldn't have even been a question, as if she should have already known the answer he would give her. "Is that even a question?" He then asks. Her eyes widen for a moment, and Lux isn't sure what to say, Ezreal takes her silence as answer and proceeds to talk again. "I was." He give a much more blunt answer this time, "I was worried about you out there, I was afraid you might have died." There was a clear expression of concern on his face as he spoke, how much had he worried for her while she was gone? Didn't he have other, more important things to concern himself with? Not to say that she didn't appreciate his worrying, because she did. "Thank you for worrying, but I'm safe and sound see?" She gives him a small smile after she speaks and he smiles back.

This gesture, while short, was relieving- she was reminded of war almost constantly, and this moment, was enough to pull her out of her constant worries. His carefree demeanor, she'd be lying if she said she didn't envy him a little (but she'd never admit such a thing), she had to be serious- she always had to be serious. She didn't have the luxury to be carefree, to adventure, she'd like to- sure, but she couldn't. She hasn't even noticed that a pout was on her features until Ezreal had pointed it out. "Everything OK? You seem kind of, I dunno- out of it?" She quickly realizes that she's let her guard down, if he were an enemy he could have killed her on the spot. "I'm fine, just thinking..." She'd reply, eyes trailing to the side as she speaks. “About….” He doesn’t finish his sentence, maybe for in fear of upsetting her even more? She can’t tell. She give a small nod, he looks down- nothing is said for a few moments before Ezreal smirks, taking right hand, she winces- the pain from her forearm still very much there before looking at him, confused. “Ezreal?” She questions, “I’m gonna show you something.” he says, “No- Ezreal I can’t. I don’t have the time to fool around.” He knows this already though, but the look on his face says that he won’t be taking no for an answer. 

“Live a little, for once- do something you don’t do. If you spend all your life following the rules you’ll live a dull, dull life.” He remarks, a light laugh escaping his lips as he does. “I’m sure Caitlyn would love to hear you say that.” Lux retorts, a small laugh of her own escaping her lips. Ezreal doesn't look amused, but he can’t come up with a comeback this time around- instead, he decides to change the subject. “Regardless, it’s just one afternoon, how much trouble could you possibly get in? If anyone asks, just tell them you ran into some trouble.” He winks as he speaks, Lux rolls her eyes, she knows she won’t be able to win no matter how much she wants to contest it, she didn’t necessarily feel comfortable lying to officials, hopefully they won’t question her delayed return. “Fine.” She finally says, a gleeful look can be seen on Ezreal’s face as he pulls on her hand once more. “Be careful.” Lux tries to hide the pain she’s in, and it works for the moment (or she would hope, at least) she knows Ezreal isn’t as dense as he may appear to be, but she didn’t want him even more worried than he had already been. 

After hearing Lux’s words, he does end up loosening his grip on her hand, which helps for the moment- she would definitely need to get herself patched up soon, before her injury gets worse. “So where exactly are we going?” She asks, he gives a shrug and tells her “It’s a secret.” She gives an annoyed look at his response, and then gives a small sigh- having to go along with it. Part of her was worried for where they were going, the rest of her worried that she was disobeying orders. She’d take soft breaths, trying to calm herself down. She’d glance at Ezreal, who seemed happy as can be, his almost unwavering cheerfulness was enough to put her at ease, a smile would form on her lips.

Curiosity was obviously peaked as she kept following him deeper and deeper into the woods, he was so sure- like he’d been here a thousand times. Maybe he had, he had the time to, after all. “Are we almost there?” She’d ask, no words would be given but she’d notice a small nod of the head. For some reason, this fact made her a little anxious- truth be told. She’d grip his hand a little tighter in reaction to this- ah, yes, he had held her hand this entire time and she had been too caught up in her own thoughts to really think about it. 

Lux would look at the scenery around her, she had definitely never seen this area before, the trees seemed to bend in such a way that it was almost like a trellis, keeping them from any prying eyes that could potentially be there. The grasses were such a bright green, the trail they looked on hardly even showing signs of their footprints behind them. It was clear that this land was very, very unknown. How did he even find it? Aimlessly walking? Or maybe someone had told him about it? But if it were her, she wouldn’t tell anyone about a place disclosed like this. It would be her own personal eden, had she found it- maybe that was what this place was to Ezreal? Finally, he stops walking- they’ve approached a small, barely noticeable crevice- had Ezreal not stopped Lux probably would have continued walking, that was how unnoticeable it was. “Is that it?” She asks, it didn’t look that impressive- but she’d feign interest, for his sake. “Yeah, c'mon!” Excitedly, he heads towards the opening, Lux follows with caution- was he actually planning to go inside that thing? Would they both even be able to fit into it? She highly doubted it. “Watch your head.” Ezreal exclaims as he ducks into the crevice, hesitantly, Lux does the same- fearing that she will end up collapsing onto him. 

Surprisingly, that wasn’t the case- it was a lot larger on the inside. The rocks were smooth and it opened to a small room, it was small in comparison to rooms SHE was used to, but for something that more than likely was not manmade, it was quite nice. It captivated her, the room gave off a low glow, it was a pale blue color- she had no idea where it came from but it soothed her. “It’s lovely.” She mutters, eyes fixated on the small room- it had exceeded her expectations. “How did you find this place?” She asks, Ezreal gives yet another shrug before answering- “Walking along stray paths, trying to find coverage from the rain, all of this led to me finding this place- It’s not the most impressive thing I’ve found, but it’s nice and private.” He smirks as he speaks, this causes Lux to give a light laugh. “It’s like your own secret paradise.” Oh, how she would love to be able to spend the day here- be careless, be selfish. However, she knew she would never act upon such selfish thoughts. She is taken away from her thoughts as Ezreal speaks up again. 

“You’re the first person I’ve shown this place to…” A pause, “It’s as much mine as it is yours, now at least.” He finishes, hand moving awkwardly behind his head again. “What do you mean?” She asks, “If you ever need to… get away, come here. I don’t mind, I wouldn’t show you this place if I wasn’t intent on letting you use it.” Lux isn’t sure how to reply, at first she just stares at him, mouth slightly ajar as if she’s trying to think of she right words to say- finally, she speaks. “I appreciate the offer but…. You know I can’t…..” Her voice trails off, Ezreal rolls his eyes- almost as if he was expecting the response. “I’m just saying, if you ever need this place- it’s here, and it’s close to home too.” By ‘home’ of course he meant Demacia- just how far from her home was it, she couldn’t help but wonder. A light exhale would escape her lips, she didn’t have the energy to protest. “Thank you.”


	2. Chapter 2

Lux had ended up spending the entire afternoon in the crevice with Ezreal, there wasn’t much to do after initially getting there, but it was still nice- it was relaxing, she liked catching up with Ezreal. She did regret not informing him of her injury, because it felt even worse by time she left, she decided that she’d tend to her wounds when she returned home. Ezreal decided that he’d escort her back to her home- much to Lux’s protest, she didn’t want the tabloids to see them together, they might…. start rumors if they did. But it was late and therefore, unlikely, but it still worried her. “You really don’t need to do this.” She mutters, hand over her injured arm she follows Ezreal quietly, “I know I don’t NEED to, but I WANT to.” He replies, Lux doesn’t really have an answer to give him in response. 

The remaining few minutes to her home were spent almost in silence, it was dark- there were street lights but they could only do so much- she could always use her magic but that would cause too much attention, even in the dead of night when they were the only ones around. She couldn’t risk it. It didn’t matter, they’d be reaching her home shortly. “Where are you staying tonight?” She asks, partially to end the silence, partially because she was genuinely curious- he wasn’t planning on staying in the place he showed her, was he? She hoped not. Ezreal shrugs, “Dunno yet.” He replies, Lux was obviously more concerned about it than he was. He must have been used to sleeping on rocks and in uncomfortable places- it probably wouldn’t be much of a problem for him, but she’d rather he didn’t. “Are you going to a hotel?” She asks again, “Maybe?” He replies. She huffs, obviously not amused by his answer. “Don’t worry OK?” She snickers before giving a simple “Fine.” He was a big boy, he could handle himself- she had no need to be worrying this much about it. He’s a capable man and she knows this. 

“Without all the lights, this place can be pretty creepy.” He changes the subject, Lux was used to seeing Demacia at night, but she could agree, at night it almost looked like a completely different place, in the daytime it was bright and colorful- the town bustling with people, music and many other things the town always looked alive. But at night? It was dreary, cold- it gave her a bit of an uncomfortable feeling like someone could come creeping out of the shadows at any moment. “You get used to it.” She replies, “Haven’t you been in darker places than this, though?” She then adds. “I have, I’m just not used to seeing this place without the lights.” She shrugs, it’s a fair point. After a little more walking, the two of them reach Lux’s house, he bids her farewells to Ezreal, telling him that she’ll see him soon and creeps into the house. 

It’s only natural that all the lights are off, it’s late, her parents are most definitely sleeping and her brother? Would he even be here? She doubted it, she’d exhale softly trying her best to climb up the stairs that led to the second floor, the stairs didn’t creak but she still wanted to tread carefully, for if she were to wake anyone up she would surely get in trouble. Luckily, she made it into her bedroom without waking anyone up. First thing she does is remove what she’s wearing, she needs to fix her injury- and fast. It stings, trying to remove the shirt around it causes her to wince. She feels stupid for not tending to her wounds early, if she had- then maybe it wouldn’t have gotten as bad. After a few moments of struggle, she’s able to remove the shirt- and her arm looks ever worse than it felt. It was something that could heal, thankfully. The first thing she needed to do was remove the gunk inside it, keeping it from getting infected (assuming it already wasn’t), it was a painful process- one she probably shouldn’t have been doing alone but she managed and eventually her injury ended up bandaged. Part of her wanted to take a shower, after her long day- but she was exhausted. In the morning, she’d tell herself- changing into her nightwear and crawling into her bed.  
She wakes up fairly early the next day, stretches and heads to the bathroom (she had a bathroom off her room, so it was easily accessible to her), stripping off her nightwear and removing the bandage around her arm, she takes a look at herself in the mirror- save for the face, she’s practically covered in scars- they’re ugly, they’re battle scars, and she’s not ashamed of them- but they’re ugly. The cover her torso, her legs, and arms- some small, some large. She’s sure her newest injury will become one as well. She stares at herself for a few moments before turning on the water and stepping into the shower. The water stings too, she should have expected that, though- maybe she tended to it too late and it got infected? She hoped that wasn’t the case, though. Trying to not let the pain get to her too much, she finishes her shower and prepares for her day- for the first time in a while, she actually doesn’t have anything to do. Which is probably for the best considering her arm. Bandaging her arm again, she gets ready for the day and almost makes it out of the door.. But then she heard her mother call her name. 

“Luxanna, come here a minute?” Lux signs, but complies- entering the room where her mother sat. “Yes?” She feigns interest, but desperately wants to leave. “I didn’t hear you come in, when did you get home?” She asked, Lux smiles giving a small wave of her hand, “I got home late, I would have said something- but I didn’t want wake you up so I went straight to bed.” Her mother raises a brow, but then gives a nod. “Very well.” She says, her hands gripping a small teacup, she sips it. Lux clears her throat, “Well, I have to get going.” She’d say, it’s a lie- but honestly, she just doesn’t want to be around her mother anymore. Her mother says nothing in response, she only takes another sip of her tea. Lux gives a single glance before she’s out the door. She was not close with her mother, but today she felt an unusual amount of coldness from her- she could not tell why but wouldn’t dwell on it too much. 

She actually was not sure what she would do now that she was out of the house, she just knew that she didn’t want to be there. She hadn’t eaten since the morning yesterday- maybe she would do that? The low gurgle of her stomach mere seconds later then gave her her answer. There are many nice cafes and places to eat in Demacia, she stopped at one of her favorites, a bakery- you could smell the bread from the outside, she stepping into the store, ordered herself a muffin and found herself a place to sit. Not even three minutes into eating her breakfast she was approached by someone, this was not uncommon- as the Light of Demacia, she was used to being approached by strangers. However, this person seemed to be a reporter, she didn’t really want to deal with the journalist right now, but she was pretty much cornered and thus, had no choice. “Yes?” She asks, turning to face the reporter, a woman who looked absolutely sleep deprived. “Ms. Crowguard, just a moment of your time- I just HAVE to ask.” Brows raise as she hears the words, “Ask away,” she then says. The woman's face seems to light up, “Thank you, thank you. See, we’ve heard allegations of a certain Explorer leaving the Crownguard household at the wee hours of the night- we just wanted to know if those were true or not?” The woman would ask, leaning in towards Lux who would immediately tense up at her words- someone had seen them? A false smile would make way onto the girl's features, this definitely wasn’t what she wanted to deal with in the morning. “Think nothing of it,” she first says, “Ezreal and I are simply friends, nothing more- nothing less.” Lux is sure that the reporter will twist her words, she’s expecting it- there isn’t much she can really say to defend her situation. The reporter gives a smile of her own before asking “That doesn’t explain why he was leaving your house, though.” The reporter had a point, however Lux really didn’t want to deal with her right now, she’d give an unamused look before standing. “It was nothing, if you’ll excuse me- I’m done here.” She says confidently, grabbing the remnants of her muffin and leaving the building. 

She can almost guarantee walking out on her “interview” will end up badly for her, but she could really care less at the moment, rumors will be rumors. It’s not like this is the first time that she’s had a rumor spread about her in the tabloids, at most it would stir things up for a few days- but it would eventually die down. There wasn’t even enough information on the subject to make a substantial article, she assumed at least. Regardless, the woman had put a damper in her mood, so much so that she couldn’t even finish her muffin. Lux would sign, aimlessly walking at this point, letting her feet carry her wherever they wanted to go. 

She didn’t even realize she was walking directly to the place Ezreal had taken her the day before until she was already almost there. She followed the path exactly as Ezreal had shown her, and sure enough it led to the small crevice, she wasn’t sure why she ended up coming here- but she did. She wasn’t expecting anyone to be in the crevice when she entered, but to her surprise she saw Ezreal, who seemed to be sleeping. The sight came as a shock to the girl- and she felt like she was walking in on something she shouldn’t have seen. She debated leaving, acting like she had never even saw this and heading straight home- but she did not. Instead, she sat near him- the ground couldn’t possibly be comfortable, right? He seemed to be sleeping like a baby, he must have been used to sleeping on the ground, though. She didn’t wake him. She sat against the wall, twiddling her thumbs for the most part, luckily- he ended up waking shortly after her arrival.

He was, admittedly surprised- maybe even embarrassed when he saw her there. He had dirt on his face and in his hair, his clothes were all wrinkled, there were bags under his eyes- he stretches, picking up his jacket (which he was using as a pillow) and putting it back on his body. “How long have you been here?” He yawns, Lux shrugs a bit “Ten or so minutes, maybe.” She says, suddenly feeling a lot more awkward than she had already. He smiles at her, “Why’d you come here?” he then asks “I don’t know.” She answers honestly- “I was getting breakfast… a reporter talked to me and then I came here.” Ezreal’s eyes widen for a moment, he then nods “What’d they ask?” She then stands up, dusts off her skirt and moves a little closer to him, “Someone must have saw you leaving my house last night- I’m hoping they don’t make anything big about it.” Ezreal snickers, “Their bound to make something bit out of it, their job is to gossip.” This time, Lux snickers before nodding- “You’re not wrong.”

Ezreal then scoots over a little closer to Lux, some of the dirt on his clothes falls onto hers- he puts his arm around her, in a joking way and then says. “And if they do gossip about us, who cares.” He smirks, Lux giggles a bit- a sort of awkward giggle. “I care, I don’t mind rumors- I know they only last a little while but…” She wasn't one to really care about rumors, but if one were to spread about her dating Ezreal, she wasn’t really sure how she’d feel, now that she thought about it. “But?” Brows widen as he looks at Lux, he’s teasing her, she knows this. She looks back at him, “But, I don’t want any rumors about… us to spread.” For some reason, her heart is racing- why does the thought of being with him make her heart race? Her eyes glance over to the arm that is still around her, then to him- he’s looking right at her, she looks away. 

It would be bad for both of them if a rumor like that got around, she can only imagine the headlines and articles, eventually it would die down, and she knows that- but still the thought in itself is bothersome. 

“If rumors of us spread it’s not like they’ll be there for long.” He tells her, Ezreal was never really one to care about rumors that got spread about him, or gossip in the tabloids. She shrugs “fair point, I don’t really mind rumors- it’s just a matter of I don’t want them spreading at all.” She then says, “And why’s that?” He then asks. “I don’t want people to think that we’re together.” She answers, removing his hand from her arm and standing, wiping away the dirt from her clothes. “I’m leaving.” She says, and swiftly starts to return home. She turns back to get one last glance he looks confused or maybe.. Hurt? She can’t tell, but she feels kind of bad.


	3. Chapter 3

Lux returns home, her mind full of questions she wish she didn’t have- and also of him. She doesn't like this feeling, her heart pounding, her hands clammy- the simple thought of him causing her to feel a wave of emotions she wish she didn’t have. Is it possible that she…. No, it couldn’t be. There’s no way she could. She refused to believe it. She couldn’t like Ezreal- absolutely not. They were just friends, good ones- admittedly, but friends. She didn’t want anything to happen between them, she didn’t want to lose his friendship. 

But she did like the way he’d hold her hand, and she way he’d look at her- she felt a certain closeness around him that she couldn’t feel around others, being around him made her feel less lonely. 

Lux closes her eyes, she doesn't want to admit it to herself- she doesn't like Ezreal, she CAN’T like Ezreal. He would never feel the same way, anyways. He liked to tease her, sure, but she knew that it was nothing more than that- teasing. She knew that he didn’t feel anything actually romantic for her- and that was why she’d let him get away with it so easily. 

She exhales, plopping herself on her bed face first, she feels like she’s going to scream (she doesn’t, of course). Her heart is still racing, but she tries to let her mind wander to something other than him, and she ends up falling asleep. When she wakes up she sees her mother at her door- a paper in hand, Lux has no idea what it says yet, but from the look on her face she could already tell that she was going to be in trouble. 

“What is the meaning of this, Luxanna?” Her mother asks, showing Lux the headline article- it’s title reads “Is the prestigious Luxanna Crownguard in a relationship with the world's famous Prodigal Explorer?” Just reading that alone makes her heart drop, she takes the paper from her mother's hands- quickly turning to the article and reading what it had to say. More or less, it just had to do with her refusal to answer questions (which was a bad idea on her part) to a picture that someone had managed to take of the two of them walking together, overall- it wasn’t really a scandalous article, one she assumed would die down in a week or so, there were far more important things to talk about than Lux and her potential love affairs. “It was something taken out of context” Lux finally says, her mother is glaring daggers at her- it gives her a chilling feeling. Her mother says nothing for awhile, eyes would stay fixated on the girl as she simply walks around her. “I don’t want you seeing him anymore.” She finally says. 

Lux’s eyes widen at her comment, she feels her heart sink into the bottom of her chest- she couldn’t imagine never seeing Ezreal again- and she didn’t want to imagine it, either. “We’re just friends… I don’t think we need to go to such drastic measures.” Lux replies, trying to persuade her mother otherwise, she doesn’t want to give him up. Nothing her mother told her could stop her from seeing him, “I don’t want you to associate with.. Filth like him.” She then says, and Lux snickers, she wants to defend him- but she doesn't want to upset her mother more than she already has. Fists clench, Lux softly exhales- she contemplates the things that she can say in this situation it’s either one: she disobeys her mother behind her back, two: she stops talking to Ezreal in general or three: she defends Ezreal, indefinitely being the option that will get her in the most trouble. “He’s not filth.” Is all she can say, and she says it with feigned confidence. Her mother raises a brow, she looks shocked, “You’re an adult, you can do as you may- however I would not advise you see him any longer.” Lux simply nods, she has no words to say. Her eyes stay locked on her mother's as she exits her room, paper still in hand, only turning away to make sure she doesn't trip on the stairs, the look on her face before she leave the house is one she wishes that she’d never see again. 

She wasn’t supposed to see Ezreal, so what’s the first thing she does? Why, she goes to see him, of course. She doesn't know who else to confide in with this information- she had other friends, sure, but there was nobody she wanted to talk to right now but him. There was nobody she wanted to see but him. She stops dead in her tracks, a realization coming over her- one that she knew she could no longer deny. She had feelings for him, ROMANTIC feelings, ones that she knew he probably would not replicate. But still, she harboured these feelings for him, and they were a little overwhelming. She won’t tell him, she decided this much- she’ll keep it to herself, as long as she can. 

When she arrives at the crevice where she was earlier she’s almost surprised to still see him there- he looks confused. “You’re back?” He says, but it sounds more like a question. “The way you ran out earlier, I thought you were mad at me.” Lux huffs at first she says nothing- she just takes a few steps towards him, and leans her head on his shoulder, she mutters a small “sorry.” Ezreal gives a concerned look as he sees Lux like this, her puts his arms around her, giving her a hug. “What’s wrong.” Still not saying much, she shows him the paper, he gives it a quick read before ripping it. “You’re this upset over a silly tabloid article? I thought you were better than that.” He tells her, the words hurt- she shakes her head, “that’s not it…” she starts, taking a quick pause. “My mother saw it, and told me she didn’t want me to see you again.” Ezreal’s eyes widen, there’s a look of anger in his eyes. “You’re kidding me.” He says, tone more serious than she was used to, Lux shakes her head, eyes locked with his. “I’m serious. She said that I shouldn’t associate with… filth like you.” Just repeating her mother's words are enough to leave a bad taste in her mouth, she looks at Ezreal, who looked even more angry than he already did. “Telling you who you can and can’t be with? That’s absolutely ridiculous.” His nails dig into her sides, she knows he doesn’t mean to do it- just that he’s upset about what she had just told him, but it still hurts.

“Ez-- That hurts..” She tells him, that alone seems to cause him to regain some of his composure, he moves his hands away from her- giving a small “sorry,” and appears to look genuinely upset. “It’s.. fine, don’t worry about it. I know you didn’t mean it.” She says, giving a small giggle- trying to reassure him, he signs- giving a small smile. A few moments are spent in silence as he looks at her, “wait, wait- let me ask you something, you’re told not to see me and the first thing you do is come see me?” He gives a chuckle of his own as he talks, Lux blushes faintly- feeling embarrassed. “I don’t want to lose you, after all that just happened I felt that if I didn’t see you I may not get to see you again.” She wasn’t going to sugarcoat the situation, she didn’t care how he reacted at the moment- she just needed to get it off her chest. 

Ezreal does not laugh, he doesn't tease her- he doesn’t say anything actually. He just stares at her, he looks as if he isn’t sure how to reply. He hugs her, neither of them talk for what feels like forever- they sit in silence hugging. Ezreal finally breaks the silence, “So what’re you gonna do?” He asks, she shrugs- honestly, she doesn't really want to return home for the night. She doesn’t think she can handle it, she’d take sleeping in this dirty cave over going back to her house for the night, maybe she’d stay at a hotel? “I’m not sure.” She looks at the ground, shrugs her shoulders a bit and then gives him a smile “I’ll figure something out.” She says, however- it doesn't look like that was the right answer for Ezreal. “Are you going back home?” He then asks, “I don’t know. Probably not, at least tonight?” She then says- she’s sure it’ll only stir up trouble, but she just doesn't want to deal with her mother. “Do you want to stay here?” He asks, “Do I even have a choice?” She responds.

She really isn’t looking forward to sleeping on the cold ground, but anything's better than dealing with the wrath of her mother. “Do you by chance have any bandages?” It was a longshot, but it was worth a shot, so much had went on that she didn’t even realize that she hadn’t changed the bandage on her arm. Ezreal raises a brow, giving her a concerned look- “Yeah, I do.. Are you okay?” He asks, Lux gives him a smile, moving the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a bandage around her arm, “I’m fine, I just got a little cut- it’ll heal.” She give a reassuring smile, eyes are locked onto his as he hands her a bandage- a look of worry still obviously on his features. Lux, unravels her old bandage- it looks pretty bad, she grimaces at the sight of it, but then quickly wraps it up in the new bandage. No problem, if it doesn't get any better soon she’ll go see a doctor, but for now- that would have to do. “That looks pretty bad.” Ezreal would say, Lux would nod giving a half shrug “I’ve been through worse.” He frowns, “That’s not what I meant.” But she knows that already.

“I’ll be fine, OK? I don’t really want to think about it anymore. I just want to go to sleep.” She then says- sleeping on the ground? She can do this, her back may not thank her for it in the morning, but she could endure it for one night. A small huff escapes her lip as she lays on her side, facing away from Ezreal. “Do you want my hoodie?” She hears him ask, she turns to face him- contemplating his offer, slowly she nods her head. She sits up as he hands her the hoodie, for a moment she thinks about whether she wants to wear the jacket or use it as a pillow- after some consideration she decides to use it as a pillow. “Goodnight, Ezreal.” She mutters, laying down- facing him this time. He smiles at her “Goodnight, Lux.” She gives a smile, closing her eyes- she smells his jacket, the smell is a mix of dirt and Ezreal.. But mainly dirt. Lux didn’t mind it, actually. 

She opens her eyes, only to see that he was looking at her, she blushes faintly- hoping he can’t see it. “Go to sleep, Ez.” She whispers, giggling softly. “Why don’t you?” He responds, giving his own soft chuckle. He moves a bit closer to her, close enough that she could hear his breathing. Lux squeezes her eyes shut- she doesn’t want to look at him, she just wants to go to sleep. She’s not sure when- but, she ends up eventually falling asleep. She wakes up in the morning with her back aching, but she felt strangely well rested, even more so than she did in her own bed, surprisingly. She feels something around her side, opening her eyes she finds that it’s Ezreal’s arm. Immediately, Lux feels her cheeks heat up- she wants to turn away but if she does she feels that he’d wake up. 

Instead she does nothing, she just stares at the still sleeping Ezreal. He looks peaceful, he looks at ease… and then he’s looking directly at her. “Enjoying the view?” He teases, her lips purse and a brow widens “I dunno are you enjoying having your arms around me?” She retorts, he is then the one to blush, removing his hand from her waist with haste. “I didn’t mean-- Uh..” He’s flustered, Lux giggles. “It’s fine, I didn’t mind.” That was a lie, she was flustered when she realized it, she’s still a bit flustered about it now. “Anyways.. Uh, did you sleep well?” He asks, trying to change the subject. She sits up, stretching a bit before nodding. “Strangely yes, I did. Better than I normally do, actually.” Ezreal smiles, looking genuinely happy to hear that. “It’s because I was here, wasn’t it?” He teases, she playfully punches him in the arm. “Sure it was,” although to be honest, that may have been the reason. 

Lux felt at ease around Ezreal, she wouldn't need to tell him that- it was something she felt he already knew. Just as she could tell that he felt at ease around her (or at least, she hoped he did), he seemed to feel at ease around her, if anything. Considering he had his arm around her. “I knew it!” He’d exclaim, giving a light laugh- Lux would laugh too. Ezreal’s face would then turn to one that was more serious, looking at her arm. “Do you need to change your bandage again? I don’t have many more..” Lux would frown, she didn’t want to go back to Demacia- she didn’t want to endure her mother's rage. “That’s alright..” She mutters, Ezreal hands her a bandage- she removes her old one tossing it aside, and putting on the new one. Her arm injury was beginning to look a little better- not much, but a little bit.

“When are you going back home? To Piltover, I mean?” She asks, Ezreal’s brows perk, he looks at her, tilting his head. “I was planning on heading out later today, why?” He asks, grabbing his hoodie and putting it on. Lux takes a few moments to gather her words, she knows what she wants to say- it’s just a matter of saying it, she hesitates taking a deep breath she final speaks. “Can I come with you?” She finally asks. Ezreal gives a look that seems to be a mixture of both shock and surprise, as if he wasn’t expecting her to say such a thing. “Don’t you need to go home? What about you family?” He asks, Lux looks away from him, at the ground- she doesn’t want to deal with them, but she knows that the longer she waits the more trouble she’d be in in the long run. 

But she doesn’t really care anymore. “I don’t want to go back.” She says, it’s selfish and she knows that- but she doesn’t care. There’s only so much that a person can take before they’re pushed over the edge, and what her mother had said to her was her tipping point. Ezreal didn’t say anything, he just looks at Lux, “you know, you’re gonna have to face her someday.” He tells her, but Lux knows that already. She knows she has to confront her mother someday, and she will, but that day won’t be today.

She was looking forward to going to Piltover, to be honest- she hadn’t been there in quite some time and it would be nice to be there again. Of course, it isn’t like she’ll really be able to enjoy herself unless she’s in a disguise, she’s sure that the tabloids have already found out about her disappearance- and if she’s seen with Ezreal she’s sure that the word would get out, which would lead to her mother finding out and that’s the last thing she wants right now. “So- Are you planning on staying at a hotel or--?” Lux bites her lip, she doesn't want to say this out loud, but she knows she has to. “Actually….. I was wondering if I could stay at your house. If I’m seen in a hotel word will spread, my mother would find out and--” Ezreal stops her short, “Say no more, you can stay with me for a while- though don’t expect too much. My house is kinda shitty.” He tells her, her eyes light up at his words, she’s honestly glad that he’s going to let her stay at his house. “Thank you, Ezreal.” She really meant it, there weren’t enough words she could use to describe the relief she was feeling. Ezreal would smile, “You’re welcome. But I’m serious about my house- it’s not anything fancy like you’re used to.” Lux would smile back, and give a small laugh, “I just slept on the ground, I’m sure anything is more comfortable than that.” He’d nod, not being able to disprove her words, “You got me there- ANYWAYS, we need to get a head start if we want to get there before dark….” He pauses, rethinking his words, “Or- You probably want to get there when it’s dark- that way people can’t see you.” While that would be IDEAL, she had her magic, and if worse came to worse- she could use it. “I mean, I’d prefer that- but I have ways I can get by if we get there during the day.” She didn’t want to be more of a burden than she already was, Ezreal would shrug his shoulders- “If you insist.”

The trip to Piltover was not a very challenging one, especially because Ezreal knew all the shortcuts and safe routes to the city, she was sure that he had been back and forth on these paths a thousand times, he seemed to know them like the back of his hand. She was a little envious, actually- her experiences in the war caused her to travel, yes, but she wished she’d been able to travel to the extent that Ezreal could. Maybe she could someday- it was a hope, and something she doubted would ever happen, but she could dream, right?


	4. Chapter 4

Lux was sure that they had been walking all day- because by time they arrived at his house the sun had already set, Ezreal had let Luz in, telling her to make herself at home while he went to get some dinner for the two of them. She was lucky, lucky that she hadn’t been seen, lucky that Ezreal knew paths that were practically unnoticed. And so Lux had been left to her own devices while Ezreal went off. She had never been to his home before, it was quaint. It was tiny, smaller than a one bedroom apartment, smelled like a musty library and was cluttered. Would it be rude of her to snoop around? He did tell her to make herself at home. 

She feels somewhat awkward, being in the house of the person she has romantic feelings for while he isn’t even there. She looks around, stepping into the small kitchen area- he didn’t have much food stocked in his fridge or pantry, but that was to be expected, he’s probably never home due to exploring so much. Her eyes lock onto the door that she only assumed would lead into his bedroom, it’s rude to pry- and she knows that, but it’s.. tempting, to say the least. But she holds herself back, for now at least. 

Instead, Lux decides to look at his desk, compared to the rest of the house it was quite neat, each drawer was labeled with something different: maps, tools, research, etc and you could tell that if anything, he took pride in his work. She could only imagine the amount of time he’d spent cooped up here working, getting little to no sleep. There were a few coffee mugs that sat on the desk, some laying on their side- others still partially full. Deciding to make use of her time, she picks up all the mugs and washes them- it was when she finished this that Ezreal had returned. “I’m back!” He’d call out, “welcome back!” She’d say in return. It felt like they were a married couple, saying things like that- or at least that was how Lux saw it, she exhales deeply, trying to toss those nonsensical thoughts aside as she turns to look at him, then to the food he held in his hands. Her stomach makes a low rumbling noise- having only ate a muffin since yesterday she was quite hungry. “It smells good.” She says and Ezreal nods “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just went with some of my own personal favorites.” He’d say, opening a bag with various meats inside- it looked expensive. “Thank you. I can pay you back if you want---” He’d shake his head, “Don’t worry about it, it’s on me.” Lux would look somewhat surprised at his words, “Are you sure? I feel bad…” She’d reply honestly. He’d shake his head once more, “Don’t feel bad, I don’t care.” his words only made her feel worse though, honestly. He had been doing so much for her recently and she felt bad. 

Ezreal wouldn’t even give her much of a chance to respond, as he had already gotten up to grab them both plates. He had a small table in his kitchen, there was only one chair, though. But, that was to be expected- considering he lived alone. He set both plates on the table and brought the chair from his desk over for Lux to sit. “C’mon, sit, eat.” He’d say, sitting at the chair across from her, she’d stand hesitantly for a few moments before obliging. Smiling at him, she’d finally begin to eat and he would too. For the most part, the two of them would eat in silence, Lux would be more focused on the food than on Ezreal. Almost feeling embarrassed to look at him while she was eating. Lux would finish first with Ezreal finishing soon after, she offers to do the dishes- because it was something. Even though he told her not to worry, she still feels like she had to do SOMETHING to pay him back for everything that he’s doing for her, so it seems like doing tedious little things would be the way to go- for now, at least. 

He escorts himself out of the room to go take a shower, leaving Lux to her thoughts as she washed dishes. She didn’t mind it, actually, doing tedious things like this- it was a lot more relaxing than what she was used to, but she liked it. She found the change to be good- and she wished that she’d be able to stay like this forever. She feels her face heat up at her thoughts, she pressed her hands to her face feeling embarrassed at herself for having those thoughts. Constantly, Lux would have to remind herself that he didn’t (or rather, probably didn’t) see her that way, he only saw her as a friend- nothing more, nothing less. She’d sulk to herself, drying the dishes that she’d just finished washing- she could hear water still running and figured that Ezreal was still showering. 

Lux would bite her lip, trying her best not to let her thoughts wander to something more provocative, she refused to let herself stoop that low and somehow- she managed to keep herself from having such thoughts. She’d have to keep her mind busy, ah! She still needed to reapply the bandage on her arm. She’d give a light knock on the bathroom door, “Hey Ez! Where are your bandages?” She’d ask him. “They’re on the bathroom counter- you can come in and get them.” He’d reply, that response causing her to freeze in place. “Uh- I think I’ll wait for you to get out of the shower to grab them, then.” A nervous chuckle would escape her lips as she spoke, Ezreal on the other hand seemed like he couldn’t care less. “You can’t see anything, just grab the bandages, I don’t want your arm to get any worse on my watch.” Lips would purse as her spoke, her hand would hesitantly reach for the doorknob, ultimately deciding if she really wanted to enter the room or not, taking a deep breath she’d twist the knob, entering the room. Wandering eyes would glance at the shower curtain for a mere moment before grabbing the bandages and exiting the room. She didn’t want to be in there any longer than she already had been- her back would be pressed against the door, her free hand pressed against her chest as she took a deep breath. 

She couldn’t say how long she’d been leaning against the door, but it wasn’t until she heard the water turn off that she’d move away from it- quickly taking a seat at the kitchen table so that she could change her bandages like she had previously planned to do. Removing it was no struggle, she’d gotten used to seeing her injury at this point- at least it seemed to be healing, right? She’d toss her old bandage in the garbage, reapplying her new one soon after. She figured that she would need a shower herself soon, after sleeping in a cave and spending most all of the day in the wilderness and hiking she felt pretty gross. Ezreal would return to the kitchen area holding a shirt and pair of pants, he’d hand them to her. “You probably don’t want to wear that again- I can wash it for you in the morning if you just want to change into these for now.” She’d look at the clothes now in her hands- she wasn’t sure that they would fit honestly. But it was worth a shot, and anything was better than wearing the clothes she’d been wearing for two day straight now. “You can go change in the bathroom or in my room, doesn’t matter.” Lux would give her thanks, heading into the bathroom to go change- feeling a bit awkward at the thought of changing in his bedroom. She’d remove her clothing, taking a quick look at herself before changing into the ones that Ezreal had given to her. 

She had a habit of pointing out all of her scars, they were nasty, but they were hers. No matter how hard she tried she’d never be able to get rid of them. No amount of medicine or treatments seemed to get rid of them- and the shirt she was given left a lot of the ones on her arm exposed. She wasn’t too sure how she felt about it, she didn’t like it- but there wasn’t much she’d be able to do about it (unless she wanted to stay in dirty clothes, which was not something she really wanted to do), so she was stuck in it for now at least. His pants were loose on her, too, luckily those had a drawstring on them though- and so Lux tied them almost as tight as she could against her waist. She had to make sure that they wouldn’t be loose enough to come off in the middle of the night, but also that they weren’t tight enough to cause her to lose circulation. She’d take another look at herself after she was finished changing. She was wearing his clothing, and it felt RIGHT, but she couldn’t explain why. It just seemed so.. so natural, and she loved it. 

Lux would return from the bathroom holding all of her clothes (which she had neatly folded) in her hands, Ezreal would direct her to the washing machine where she would set the clothes inside- the change of clothes made her feel a lot less gross than she had in the clothes she was previously wearing. “Thank you for lending me these.” She’d tell him, giving a slight yawn. He’d nod giving a yawn of his own, “As you’ve probably already noticed- I don’t really have many places to sleep, you don’t mind sleeping with me, do you?” He’d ask, and Lux would shake her head “Not at all,” she’d tell him. But it was a lie, internally she was flustered- sure, they’d slept next to each other the night before, but it was different sleeping in a cave and sleeping on a bed. She’d follow him into his bedroom, it was a lot smaller than she would have imagined- and cluttered, like the rest of his house was. There were small piles of clothes in random places, scattered books and trinkets lying about. “Don’t mind the mess.” He’d tell her, Lux would nod, side stepping around all the piles- making sure she didn’t step on anything. 

The bed was also quite small, it looked to be a little bigger than a twin sized bed. Which meant it was going to be cramped, she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She was, inevitably going to end up being within inches from his face, she could already tell. “It’s kind of small, I know.” He’d say, “Well- that’s only natural I mean.. You don’t usually have company over, right?” She’d reply, taking a seat on the bed, he’d nod sitting next to her. His gaze would be locked on her, and she’d stare back at him- neither of them would say anything for some time, but it seemed like the silence was speaking louder than either of them could have. He moves his hand so that it’s sitting on top of hers, she doesn’t move hers away. Their eyes were still locked on one another, slowly, he’d squeeze her hand. Lux would inch closer to Ezreal, she’d place her free hand on his shoulder, his empty hand would touch her thigh. Was this a dream? There was no way this could be reality- it just, it felt so perfect that it couldn’t be real. Eyes would widen as she realized what she was doing and she’d frantically move away from him, bringing her hands back to her sides. “Sorry?” Ezreal seemed confused and the tone of his voice sounded somewhat sad? “I- No, it was my fault.” She’d reply, she didn’t know what had came over her- had she not stopped herself she probably would have kissed him! Ezreal would sigh, “Let’s just go to sleep, yeah?” He’d lay down, trying his best not to take up much space on the bed- Lux would lay down soon after, facing in the opposite direction of him. “Goodnight, Ez.” She’d whisper, “Goodnight Lux.” he’d whisper back.

That morning Lux would wake up first, only to find that Ezreal’s arms were practically wrapped around her, she was sure he didn’t mean to do this. But she didn’t hate it, part of her wanted to try to fall back asleep, as it seemed like getting out of his grip would only end in waking him up- and she didn’t want to do that. Instead she decided to close her eyes and enjoy the moment while it lasted- even though she was sure that she’d regret this decision later. She didn’t plan on accidentally falling asleep again, though. Some time later she’d wake up once more, but this time- alone. She could smell bacon and eggs cooking from the other room, was Ezreal… making breakfast? It shouldn’t have came as a surprise, considering that he DID usually live alone, but for some reason it did. Or maybe she just didn’t expect it? Regardless, she got out of bed, heading into the kitchen area, “It smells nice, the food I mean.” He’d give a smirk at her words, “Thanks, it’s almost ready. Take a seat.” He’d tell her, flipping an egg. She’d nod, taking a seat “I’ll take care of the dishes.” Ezreal would shake his head at the comment “Nah, I got it- you can just go and take your shower after we eat.” He’d reply, Lux would bite her lip at the response, she felt guilty- like she was taking and taking but not giving enough back to him. “Are you sure?” She’d ask, Ezreal would nod, setting a plate in front of her before sitting down his own and sitting in the chair across from her. “I’m sure.”

She’d glance down at the food in front of her, it really did smell delicious. She’d take a small bite of the egg with her fork- it tasted delicious, too. “I never expected you to be able to cook.” Hopefully he wouldn’t take offense to her words, Ezreal would laugh at the comment- Lux would internally sigh in relief. “It’s not anything super fancy but.. It isn’t anything too bad, hopefully it suits your taste?” Lux’s lips would purse at his words, she felt a little offended, eyebrow would furrow and she’d simply take another bite of her eggs. “It suits my tastes just fine, thank you.” She’d snap, Ezreal probably hadn’t meant to offend her, she’d regret her words almost immediately- she knew he could kick her out at any moment if he wanted, not that she really felt that he would, but that was beside the point. “Sorry…” She’d whisper after, looking down at the food in front of her, she’d poke at her egg with her fork. Ezreal would huff, the two of them would eat silently, not even looking at each other. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, really.” She’d say, finally breaking the silence in the room. Ezreal would finally look up at her, he’d give a small smile. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t care.” His words would make her smile. “I care about you too… I’d do the same thing for you, you know that right?” She’d reply standing, dumping out her unfinished food in the trash, setting her plate in the sink. “I’m going to take my shower now, OK?” She’d say giving a light laugh, Ezreal would nod “Alright, your clothes are dry if you want to change into them after.” Lux would grab her now dry clothes and bring them with her into the bathroom. “Thanks!” She’d call out, quickly shutting the door behind her. 

Lux really did appreciate everything that Ezreal had done for her, she didn’t feel like she had enough words to describe the gratitude that she felt for him. She’d look in the mirror, specifically at the clothes that she was wearing, his clothes, she liked the way they felt on her. They were light and comfortable, and a lot less fancy than the clothes that she’d been used to wearing. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She’d turn on the shower, making sure it was hot before she took off the clothes she was wearing, as well as her bandage, stepping into it just after making sure that the water was hot enough. The water would didn’t burn on her injury this time, thankfully. She could tell that it was starting to get better- and that was one less thing she had to worry about. Recently it felt like all she was doing was worrying about things, she had so much on her plate at the moment- her mother and Ezreal just to name a few. So it was relieving to not have to worry about everything. A sigh would escape her lips as she shampooed her hair, giving a final rinse over before she turned off the water- drying herself off with a towel before putting on her now clean clothes. 

“Thanks for letting me shower, I really needed that.” She’d give a light laugh as she spoke. Ezreal was now dressed in something other than his pajamas, too, holding a paper with a concerned look on his face. “Lux.. You might want to look at this.” He’d say, eyes wide. “What’s wrong?” A look of concern would make way to her features, she’d take the paper from Ezreal’s hands, giving it a quick once over. She’d read the headline, and then the article itself. According to the paper, her mother had put out a missing persons for Lux- even saying that she’d give a reward to whoever found her. It shocked her to be honest, she knew her mother didn’t give enough of a damn about her to actually care that she was gone. Her mother was just upset that Lux had gone and done something for herself, that for the first time in her life she did something AGAINST her rules. “I can’t believe she would do this.” Lux would mutter, obviously shocked by what she’d just read. She was feeling a mix of emotions at the moment, most of which being shock and anger, honestly- she was furious at her mother. Part of her wanted to scream, and the other part of her wanted to cry. 

Lux was practically frozen in place, unable to say anything- unable to do anything. Eventually, she felt her legs give out, she collapsed on the ground. It felt like all the stress was crashing down on her at once- the fact that her mother had went to such extremes just to get her back home. It was too much, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Lux? Lux? Are you OK? Lux! Answer me.” She wanted to reply, she wanted to give him some sort of response to let him know that she was okay. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She didn’t want to go back, she loved her country but she couldn’t deal with her mother. Not after this.

**Author's Note:**

> -


End file.
